Our Holy Fathers and Archbishops of Alexandria Athanasius (373) and Cyril (444)
James 3:11-4:6; Mark 11:23-26.
Read James 3:11-4:6
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Prayer is an essential part of the daily life of a Christian. Prayer is our conversation with God, where we offer Him our praise and worship, give thanks for His blessings, and ask for His mercy and assistance. And God truly does answer our prayers, though it may not be in the exact way we expected or as quickly as we had hoped.
Sometimes, however, our prayers seemingly go unanswered, and when we experience this, we may become discouraged or upset with our Heavenly Father. God has no obligation to answer each and every one of our prayers in the way we expect, and as a loving Father, He knows not just the deepest desires of our hearts but also what is good for us and what would be bad. He knows when our petitions are self-serving and amiss, desiring only to fulfill a selfish desire. James reminds us today that God does not answer prayers that come from pride. Rather, as we read in the final verse of today’s epistle, which is quoting the Book of Proverbs, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Whether we can see our prayers being answered or not, we can have confidence that He works all things for the good of those who love Him (cf. Romans 8:28) and pray with faith in His Divine Providence.